Talent for the Game (1991)

Very best movie i ever watch

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

California Angels scout Virgil Sweet (Edward James Olmos) goes down a mine shaft to try out a pitcher. He travels all over looking for the next phenom. His girlfriend Bobbie (Lorraine Bracco) also works for the team. New owner Gil Lawrence is going to fire every scout in the field. While Virgil is on the road with Bobbie, his car breaks down and they encounter Sammy Bodeen pitching in a dusty town. Sammy's parents allow him to go with Virgil to L.A. His mother asks Virgil to look out for him. Sammy impresses with his 102 mph fastball and Lawrence rushes him to start for the promotional opportunity.Edward James Olmos has such a stand up persona that when he starts to lose his way, it's actually quite disconcerting. Of course, it's Olmos and he cannot be anything but a stand up guy. He and Bracco have a fun older chemistry. On the other hand, Jeff Corbett is not much of an actor or at least not in this movie. It's his theatrical debut. Maybe he was an athlete-turned-actor. The big baseball game is a bit hokey. The whole movie is a bit hokey but that is sometimes baseball.

I really enjoyed this film. It's formulaic, but the performances are excellent. I especially liked the actor who played Sammy Bodeen. He was brilliant. For real baseball fans it is fun to pick out the real professional ball players among the cast. Some of the television networks have begun to show this gem each spring as part of a kick-off to the major league baseball season and I look forward to seeing it each year. Seeing that guy who plays Bodeen is like seeing an old familiar friend. I highly recommend this film for little league coaches to show their teams. It's great for families and kids. My children love it and my wife does too.

One of the better movies made involving the scout finds the "phenom" and takes him to the majors. Olmos is superb in this little movie. He brings that aura that he had in Stand and Deliver. Good supporting cast for such a low budget.

I'd switched on the TV because I couldn't sleep, and a film had just started. It was around 1am, and they don't usually show this kind of feel good movie around that time, so the film was very welcome. I'd never seen James Edward Olmos in a film before this one, or I didn't remember him because I must have seen him in Bladerunner. So I didn't realise that he was such a decent actor. He's got such a common face, like a farmer, so this charismatic performance was surprising. Anyway, it was a cute little film, and it is worth watching if you've got nothing better to do.